Solemnity
by LovingTheOgre
Summary: Shuichi dies from AIDs 4yrs after he and Yuki broke up. Yuki's close to insanity once again until he meets Maiko Shindou. Shu's sister, whom decideds to save him or is it he that saves her? MaikoXYuki
1. Chapter 1

Solemnity

**Disclaimer: I don't own the character…I wish I did though.**

For two years Eiri Yuki lived alone, for two years he thought of his lost lover and the fact that he had pushed him away. Now, his golden eyes fixed on the man in the small hospital bed in front of him.

Shuichi Shindou was half the man he had been, no longer could he beautifully sing as he once did.

"Yuki…"

He was so sick.

"I'm so sorry Yuki…"

He was dying.

Sitting beside the small bed Yuki took Shuichi's hand in his and smiled sadly. He hadn't seen Shuichi since they broke up two years before when Yuki found out about Shuichi's one night stand. They had fought over it until Shuichi left, perhaps already ill.

"What are you sorry for?"

Shuichi tried to smile but he was so tired.

"I look so horrible don't I? My hair's all falling out and I'm so pale…my mother refuses to come see me, she says I have the gay disease. Can you believe that?"

"She's just afraid." Yuki said. "What about Maiko? Does she come to see you?"

Shuichi nodded.

"Every morning before she goes to work and every night before she goes home. Sometimes she comes with dad."

"That's good." Yuki said holding a bit tighter Shuichi's tiny frail hand. "You should have come back to me, I'd have forgiven you and taken care of you."

"No, it's better this way." Shuichi began to explain. "When I found out that I had this disease, the doctors said I had had it for at least a year…a year Yuki. We were broken up for that long and I knew you didn't give it to me. So that guy, that affair killed me."

Yuki said nothing, he just continued to hold Shuichi's hand and listen to him rant about his illness. After all, that was all Shuichi could do, there was nothing else.

"It's good that I left you Yuki, otherwise you'd be sick just like me."

"Don't say that." Yuki began as his golden eyes misted over. "I mean, even if I would have gotten sick I'd have been with you, making you suffer with me you little brat."

"Yuki…"

"And when my hair would have fallen out I'd have shaved all yours off and then I would have thrown something at you and yelled just like I used to and…and…Shuichi?"

Violet eyes stared into golden ones, glassy and lifeless, Shuichi's chest rose nor fell as Yuki starred at him, the small, suffering singer whom he loved with all his heart was now dead.

**Sera: I know…how could I kill Shuichi right? I'm sorry….review please!**


	2. Chapter 2

Solemnity

**Disclaimer: I don't own the character…I wish I did though.**

Rain poured from the gray sky above as the casket which held Shuichi lowered into the ground. He knew that the people around him were speaking, trying to comfort him but their voices didn't carry.

Hiroshi Nakano stood beside his now pregnant wife, Ayaka, with tears in his eyes. His long hair was pulled back and away from his face.

Eiri could not look at him, too many memories...his eyes drifted to Suguru. How the boy once disliked Shuichi cried for him at that moment.

"Shu-chan…"

Ryuichi Sakuma was dressed in a dark suit, he was crying and not carrying around Kumagoro…he was not childish at the moment, only sad and Yuki wanted to comfort him.

"I can't take this." Yuki said pulling away from the familiar group of faces. He walked past Tohma and his sister, past Tatsuha, past Shuichi's mother and father, past K.

He couldn't handle this, it was all too much.

"I can't do this…it's too much."

He had walked blindly deeper into the cemetery, crying as the rain began to fall harder on him. He didn't care.

His legs finally gave way after hours of pacing as he noticed where he was, this time however there was no one there with him. He could tell it was dark as the stars began to shine in the sky beautifully.

He was back at Shuichi's grave.

"Oh God…" He said touching the head stone. "No…this has to be some joke. Not this, damn it…_God Damn it!_ No, _not_ Shuichi!" He fell on his knees, his hands on the cold wet ground, digging into the grass and dirt. "Why not _me_? Don't I _disserve_ to die? Don' I disserve to be the one in the ground, _rotting_?"

Suddenly he stood, his eyes facing the magnificent stars and moon. His eyes narrowed.

"No…not a beautiful night, _don't_ give me that! Not stars, don't show me stars not after you took _mine_! Damn it!"

He held his face in his big hand.

"Damn it…why show me stars when you took _my_ star away? Why let them shine at all when you _killed_ the brightest one?" He asked himself, asked God, asked anyone who would listen.

He never expected to get an answer back however.

"He was my star too."

Golden eyes opened wide, Yuki flung his head back and stared into eyes so like his Shuichi's and yet so very different. Her hair was light like his, not pink yet the style was the same only longer. Obviously a woman yet her body type was the same as Shuichi's had been.

Violet eyes starred into gold.

"Mr. Yuki…_Eiri_…" She said as unshed tears fell and she flung into his arms a weeping mess. "Shu…he always loved you…" She began babbling. "He regretted hurting you, he missed you so much…I miss him so much!"

He held her, standing there in front of his _lovers_ grave.

In front of her _brother's_ grave…

Both loved him more then anyone and they _held one another_, trying to heal…

She needed to know why her brother loved him so much so that she could understand him better…understand how her brother could love someone so much that caused him pain.

He needed to be near her, to look into eyes that looked so much like ones he took for granted.

They would find solace in each other…

**Sera: Tell me what ya thinks! Review! Please!**


	3. Chapter 3

Solemnity

**Disclaimer: I don't own the character…I wish I did though.**

"Tea?"

Maiko shook her head bringing the towel closer to her shivering body.

"No thanks." She said.

Eiri took a seat beside her on the couch of his apartment, the one he had shared with Shuichi when they were still together. He sipped his tea before casting a glance at her again.

"Ms. Shindou…I-"

She shook her head and weakly smiled at him.

"_Maiko_. Just call me Maiko."

"Maiko." He said. "I have some of…I have clothes that might fit you." He said getting a bit uncomfortable.

"Thanks…." She said lowering her head. She knew what he meant. Some of Shuichi's clothes that he had left behind.

Eiri stood and walked toward the hall to his bedroom to retrieve the clothes for her that he kept neatly folded in an empty drawer.

A red non-sleeved shirt and a pair of comfortable jeans. He held them for a moment in his arms, his suffering coming back full force again as he pushed it aside and walked out of the room, stopping when he noticed Maiko was no longer sitting on his couch but standing by the door where he had a big picture put up of him and Shuichi on their first date.

He smiled at the picture they had taken.

After Shuichi left he had it enlarged to fit in the giant frame and often when he felt lonely he would look at it and recall that day.

"Here." He said breaking her from her reverie as he handed her the clothes. She took them and smiled.

"Thank you." She said.

"The bathrooms down the hall on your left, I've got towels in there for you to use. Take as long as you like." He said to her in his normal monotone.

She nodded and walked passed him into the hall, but not before casting a longing glance at the picture of her brother and his lover. She sadly smiled.

"He gave me that picture."

"Excuse me?"

"When he got too sick and started staying in the hospital…he said that when he died that I could have that picture so that I can see him at his happiest." She sadly continued before walking into the bathroom.

Yuki stood there silent for a moment before letting his tears fall.

"You little brat…damn it…you just _had_ to die didn't you?"

--

She stayed under the hot water for a bit longer then she would have liked. It felt as though the water were trying to suffocate her and for a moment she liked that feeling. Letting her shoulder length hair fall from it's bun she let it soak, sighing.

Shuichi had been her life for three years. After he was diagnosed with AIDs she decided to stay by his side and moved back to Tokyo from Osaka, leaving her fiancée behind.

Of course the jerk left her but she didn't care. Shuichi was her brother and he needed her.

Over that course of time she had gotten to meet Ryuichi Sakuma who was a big help in caring for her brother when the illness was too much for Shuichi, when she was too tired to move to care for her brother, Ryuichi was there.

Whether it was a feed her brother when he couldn't feed himself, or to bathe him, Ryuichi was there.

She smiled.

_'I'll call Ryu-chan in the morning to see how he's doing._' She thought as her mind wandered over the faces she had seen at the funeral. Her mother, Hiro and Ayaka…

She was surprised to see Hiro there at all.

After Hiro found out it seemed too much for him and after Bad Luck had broken up due to Shuichi's illness Hiro left, married and moved on with his life. It had been the first time she had seen Hiro in two years, not since Shuichi was admitted to the hospital after an attempted suicide.

She frowned under the water.

Her mother was just as bad, and due to her rants about her _"fagot"_ son and his sins, Maiko's father could no longer take it and left her.

He moved out of Tokyo but occasionally visited Shuichi, bringing with him presents that ranged from Toys, CD's, and even sneaking him Pocky.

A knock on the door brought her from her musings.

"Yes?"

"Are you alright in there…it's been a few hours."

He was right, the water was no longer hot but cold. Maiko shut off the water and wrapped herself in a towel.

"I'm sorry." She said drying, then dressing.

She stepped out of the bathroom, looking apologetically at Yuki.

"Don't be. I was just worried you drowned yourself."

Yuki said walking past her into the living room, a pillow and sheet in his hands.

"What are you doing Mr. Yuki?"

He turned slightly.

"It's too late for a young woman like you to walk home, however close. I'm sleeping on the couch, you get the bedroom." And with that he was out of the hallway and gone from sight.

"Eiri…" She said sadly as she went into his room and shut the door.

**SERA: Comment! Oh, and sorry about Shu's mom and what she said. I hate that word, I hate closed minded people but I wanted to portray it as I thought it would happen and by personal experience that not everyone has a wonderful mother…sometimes mother's can be cruel and mean. Please comment.**


	4. Chapter 4

Solemnity

**Disclaimer: I don't own the character…I wish I did though.**

Ryuichi Sakuma let himself into his and Maiko's apartment at three in the morning. He tip-toed inside as to not wake his friend when he noticed that her bedroom door was closed.

"Mai-chan?" He asked as he opened the door to find it empty.

Maiko never left the door closed to her bedroom when she slept. She seemed afraid when the room was completely dark as well and always left the hall ways light on.

"Mai-chan…" He said walking passed her bedroom and was about to make his way into his bedroom that was down the hall when he noticed that the other bedroom, Shuichi's bedroom, was closed as well.

He opened the door, light from street lamps poured into the room eerily, casting shadows. The room was cold, empty.

"Shu-chan." He said stepping into the room, touching Kumagoro whom sat alone on the bed. He held the stuffed animal in his arms. "Kuma-chan, Shu-chan's not coming back to cuddle with you…" He said collapsing on the bed. "Shuichi's not coming back…never…" He said falling asleep on Shuichi's bed, tears streaming down his face.

--

Yuki awoke as bright sunlight poured onto his face. He moved in his bed.

_'Bed? Wait, where am I?'_ He thought as he sat up in his bed. He looked about for Maiko who wasn't there.

_'What happened? Was it just a dream?'_ He thought to himself as he heard sweet humming coming from the hall. He slowly got up and walked down the hall, closer to the voice and heavenly smell. He followed it until he found Maiko in his kitchen preparing eggs.

"So you're finally up." She said placing the eggs in a big bowl and setting them on his table where there also waited French toast, sausages and bacon. She filled a mug of coffee for him and set it down on the table. "Go on eat." She said as she poured herself a mug and sat down.

He took the seat next to her and placed the desired objects on his plate.

"How'd I get in my bed?" He asked her finally.

"Oh, I picked you up and put you there…you're really heavy, Mr. Yuki, did you know that?"

With a mouth full of eggs Yuki laughed.

"I guess so." He said.

She nodded and the rest of breakfast went by quietly, not awkwardly but nice silence. After breakfast Maiko had decided to go home. She walked to the door, wearing a black coat of Yuki's.

"This was nice, Mr. Yuki." She began. "I hope you feel better."

He nodded.

"I'll see you soon Maiko." He said to her giving her a hug. She hugged back and sighed. "Thank you _Eiri_, for being there for me."

"You were here for me too Maiko." He said as she let go and disappeared from his sight with the promise that she would see him again soon.

He smiled happily.

"Shuichi, you always told me how great your sister was…and now I believe you."

--

"I'm home!" Maiko yelled bursting into her apartment. When she wasn't greeted by the usual boasting of "MAI-CHAN!" she was surprised.

"Ryu-chan?" She said, closing the door. "Ryu-chan where are you?"

She heard a groggy sound from the hall and then emerged Ryuichi Sakuma in his wrinkled black suit.

"Mai-chan, where were you?"

She lifted a brow.

"Why are you still in a suit?"

"I asked you first."

She breathed deeply before walking to the couch and throwing herself on it.

"I was with Mr. Yuki last night." She began.

This caught Ryuichi's attention as he childishly laid his head in her lap and looked up at her with his big blue eyes.

"Really? With Mr. Grumpy Gus Yuki?"

She laughed.

"Yeah. He was crying so badly, I didn't want to leave him alone."

Ryuichi was quiet for a moment before he turned serious.

"Don't tell Tohma." He said before sitting up and walking to the kitchen.

"Why?"

Ryuichi opened the refrigerator and took out a beer. He was still serious and it was a bit unnerving.

"Tohma's in love with Mr. Yuki, he was jealous of your brother for a long time." He said.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Look, just listen to me okay." He said loudly. "I may act like some dumb kid but damn it I'm older then you, listen to your elders."

She was quiet for a moment before nodding.

"Fine, I wont tell Tohma."

He nodded childishly.

"Good. Besides a mad Tohma is a scary Tohma, mmhm, yup he's a scary one!"

This was the Ryuichi she liked. Not the serious one but the happy one.

"Ryu-chan, it's not weird is it?"

He lifted a brow.

"Not to me but to the others maybe…so maybe you shouldn't tell anybody."

She nodded.

"That sounds like a good idea."

"Of course! You can tell Kuma-Kun though, he can keep secrets real good."

She laughed.

"I bet."

Ryuichi laughed childishly at Maiko almost making her forget Yuki and Tohma…well almost anyway.

--

Tohma Seguchi let himself into his brother in laws apartment.

He was worried about him.

"Eiri, where are you?"

Yuki emerged from his bedroom looking annoyed.

"What?"

Tohma smiled at Yuki.

"Eiri, how are you feeling?"

Yuki said nothing.

"Eiri?"

"Lousy but better then I expected." Yuki finally said lighting up a cig. "Maiko's good company. Nice kid."

"Maiko?" Tohma said then his eyes narrowed. "Maiko Shindou? You were with Maiko Shindou?"

Yuki nodded.

"We talked last night."

"Did she stay the night?"

Yuki looked at Tohma, noticing his accusing gaze.

"Yeah but nothing happened." He said standing up. "Jesus, Tohma, you think I'm that much of a pig?"

Tohma said nothing as he followed Yuki to the balcony. They looked out for a moment neither speaking.

"She's just like him, ya know." Yuki said. "Looks like him, kinda sounds like him. Only she has brains." He laughed.

"Isn't it a bit soon to make fun of Shindou already?"

Yuki shook his head.

"Nope. Shuichi would have wanted me to act normal."

Tohma lifted a brow.

"Will you be seeing her again, Eiri?"

Yuki shrugged his broad shoulders.

"I dunno. Maybe." He said then added. "She's good company."

"Good company?"

Yuki nodded.

"Yeah."

**Sera: So you like it? I had trouble with Ryuichi but I loved making him serious. Isn't this sad? LoL Comment please and I'll continue.**


	5. Chapter 5

Solemnity

**Disclaimer: I don't own the character…I wish I did though.**

Suguru made his way up to his apartment surprised to find K there along with Sakano.

"What are you doing here?" He asked a bit annoyed.

"It's about Maiko." K said catching Suguru's attention. His green eyes darted to K.

"What about her?"

Sakano nodded.

"Well you see…Mr. Shindou left Ms. Shindou a tape and well, neither of us know Ms. Shindou well enough and since you seem pretty fond of her, we just thought that…"

K cut in rolling his eyes at Sakano before shoving the tape into Suguru's hands.

"Look, we don't know her, you like her and Hiro's MIA. Give it to her, alright?"

Suguru lifted a brow but took the tape anyway.

"Hiro's missing?"

"Well not missing but you know, he just decided that Shuichi and anything Shuichi wasn't his problem so we decided that since you know her you'd give it to her."

Suguru sighed, opening his apartment door and walking in.

"You want to come in?"

K shook his head.

"Nope, I've got to get home to the wife."

Suguru nodded.

"Sakano?"

Sakano nodded and said goodbye to K.

He walked into the kitchen and sat at the table, his eyes blank.

"He was a really good kid." Sakano began. "It's not fair that it ended this way."

Suguru nodded sitting in front of Sakano. He leaned on his arms.

"I know." He said. "Still, Hiro was his best friend, why is he being this way?"

Sakano said nothing for a moment, considering his words carefully.

"Perhaps it's his way of grieving."

Suguru nodded.

"Yeah, maybe but…not once. He never went to visit Shindou once while he was ill. He just ignored him, like he never existed and moved on with his life like nothing."

"I know."

There was silence before Suguru left to get two beers. He returned to see Sakano rubbing the bridge of his nose quelling away a head ache.

"Sakano?"

"It's nothing. Just a head ache."

Suguru placed the beers down on the table.

"Maiko sure took it hard didn't she?"

Sakano nodded.

"Poor girl."

Suguru picked up the tape and sighed.

"I wonder what he left her on this tape?"

"I don't know."

**SERA: I know it's short but hey this is hard! LoL Comment if you like it!**


	6. Chapter 6

Solemnity

**Disclaimer: I don't own the character…I wish I did though.**

It had been seven months since Shuichi died and as hard as it was life returned to normal.

Ryuichi began to write songs and sing again.

Shuichi's father no longer drank himself to sleep.

Suguru and Sakano were not working together along with K, they were working with a new bad called **Disarray** in which Suguru played synth.

For Maiko and Yuki however nothing was ever normal…but something pleasantly abnormal.

Yuki often went to Maiko's flower shop to see her, Maiko always made Yuki come over to her apartment to have dinner with her and Ryuichi.

They were great friends now, even if no one besides Ryuichi knew it.

It was on one day in particular that things would change.

A warm April day when Hiroshi Nakano had decided to visit his best friends little sister.

He felt quite foolish for ignoring them, and after Ayaka had pushed him out of his foolishness he decided to drive into Tokyo from Kyoto.

He was just about to walk into the apartment when the door burst open.

He was face to face with Eiri Yuki.

"What the hell?"

Maiko was holding onto Yuki's hand (since she was wearing heels and was afraid she'd fall) dressed quite nicely in a red dress wile Yuki sported a dark suit.

"Hiro?"

Hiroshi looked from one to the other before Ryuichi unknowingly broke the tension.

"Hiro-kun!" He yelled, grabbing the man's hand and throwing him inside.

Maiko and Yuki said nothing as they made their way to his car.

"Maybe we should have told him we were going to visit brother on his birthday."

Yuki shook his head.

"No, I don't think he'd have wanted to come anyway."

--

After four in a half hours of Ryuichi-torture Hiroshi had finally decided to wait for Maiko outside.

He looked up at the stars and sighed inwardly.

"What's she doing with Yuki?" He asked himself as rage boiled inside him. He leaned against his car and crossed his arms together as he saw Yuki's car pull up.

After their goodbyes Maiko climbed out and Yuki drove away.

"Hiro?"

He nodded.

"Maiko."

She smiled and walked up to him.

"Have you been here the whole time?"

He nodded.

"Ryuichi's all worn out…but I need to talk to you."

She nodded.

"Sure, what about?"

"What are you doing with Eiri Yuki?"

"Nothing." She said. "We went to go see brother's grave, it's his birthday."

He shook his head.

"Are you sleeping with him Maiko?"

"What?"

"Are you sleeping with him? I know your brother had a weakness for him I was just hoping that it wasn't hereditary."

She didn't know what to say as he continued.

"Do you think it brings you closer to Shuichi to fuck Yuki, Maiko?" He asked disgusted. "I mean, for God's sake, Maiko, it's YUKI!"

"I know who he is, and you have it all wrong. We're just friends."

He shook his head.

"Just friends? What, does being some ones stand in, some ones whore, does that make it just friends?"

Not able to take it anymore Maiko smacked Hiroshi across the face and ran up the steps to her apartment.

"Maiko! Wait!"

--

Maiko woke Ryuichi when she slammed the door shut. She ran into her bedroom and slammed the door shut falling on her bed.

"Mai-Chan what's wrong?"

"Go away!"

Ryuichi let himself in, sitting on the bed as she cried.

"Tell me what happened. Did Yuki try to hurt you?"

She shook her head.

"No…it was Hiro…he said so many things…"

"Hiro?"

She explained the entire ordeal to Ryuichi.

"Ryuichi?"

His face was blank, unreadable. He slowly pushed away and made his way to her door.

"Ryuichi?"

"I'll be back." He said in a serious tone. "I'm going to have a talk with Hiroshi."

And with that he was gone.

--

Ryuichi found Hiro in a bar, half drunk. Not allowing Hiro to say anything he punched the red head across the face.

Hiro looked up, expecting to get hit again when Ryuichi leaned down, close to Hiro's ear and whispered to him.

"You say anything like that to her again and I swear you'll be sorry…when I get made I even make Tohma nervous." He said before walking off leaving a frightened Hiro behind.

--

Suguru knocked on Maiko's door with the tape in his hands. He didn't want to give it to her so soon but now he felt the time was right.

"Suguru?"

He allowed himself in.

"I have something for you…from Shuichi."

He handed her the tape and shut the door behind him.

This would be a long night.

**Sera: Tell me what ya think. Review please! **


	7. Chapter 7

Solemnity

**Disclaimer: I don't own the character…I wish I did though.**

**Sera: It's BACK! Sorry for the long wait for this but well…I got sidetracked. Hope you're not too mad at me.**

Suguru took a seat on Maiko's bed and sighed inwardly.

"I have something that your brother left behind for you. I think that it will give you some sort of closure."

"Closure?"

He nodded.

"Not that it's any of my business but I have to ask, what is exactly your relationship with Eiri Yuki?"

"nothing."

"Yeah ok. Just to let you know though, my cousin is not too happy about your "nothing" relationship with Eiri Yuki. But I suppose that it's no concern." He sat up and handed the girl the tape. "Watch this as soon as I'm gone."

Maiko eyed the tape in her hands and lifted a brow.

"What could possibly be on this?"

--

Yuki took another long sip from his glass then lowered said glass with a small thump on the counter. He hadn't removed the suit just loosened the tie and unbuttoned his shirt. He wouldn't be sleeping any time soon, he thought, and decided that getting hammered alone would be sufficient enough to end the dreariness of his lonely life for at least a moment.

"Here, to you , brat. May you be happy in death as you were stupidly in life." He lifted his empty glass and grunted. "Opps all empty now." He slurred already drunk.

He stood and clumsily made his way to his front door, keys in hand, wishing away the haziness in his eyes and all the while as he attempted to unlock the door his eyes only saw one thing, Maiko.

--

'Hey there sister.' Shuichi, on the screen said. Maiko smiled at the screen.

"Hey brother."

'Oh I'm so tired. Do you realize that you have made me very happy Maiko? I don't have a lot of time so how about I get to the point?' He smiled. 'I've left you a bit of money with Tohma. I didn't trust mom of Hiro with this. Hmm, maybe Hiro's watching this to?'

She sighed sadly.

"Nope…just me…"

The boy on the screen continued.

'Anyway, I want to let you know that you are the best sister that I've ever had. You're the only one I can trust with this ok so pay attention.'

She leaned forward.

'Look after Yuki for me.'

Her eyes widened as she stared at the boy on screen. He was so pale and thin like the last time she'd seen him.

'I cant be around to take care of him when he's sad, I cant make him laugh when he's happy. Maiko please watch him for me.'

"Shuichi."

--

Yuki, having unable to leave his house had decided to lay on his bad and intently observe the ceiling patterns in a vain attempt to clear his clouded mind. The events earlier were uneventful. They played music for Shuichi, placed flowers on his grave and spoke to him as though he could listen.

It was ridiculous of course, the dead surely cant hear anything but it calmed Maiko and eased his heart a bit.

"Ridiculous." He rolled over on his stomach and laughed. "Damn brat had to go and die."

While he was mulling over thoughts of the Brat and who much he'd wronged everyone by dying he'd yet to notice that he was in fact being watched from the door until he heard a light chuckle and a knock.

"Bro you are a wreck."

Yuki turned over and sighed.

"And you are an ass."

Tatsuha rolled his eyes and sat beside his brother.

"So how have things been?"

"Never better."

"I thought so." The younger Uesugi said but Yuki had already fallen asleep. "Idiot."

**Sera: Sorry it took so long to update. I'm still working on this but like I said I was sidetracked. Anyway, the only way I continue now is by reviews so review and I'll go on. Thanks!**


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